Commentary: Three things Jokowi could do better to stop the haze and forest fires in Indonesia

Despite of El Nino predicted to be weak this year, Indonesia still should be gearing up for a long drought as well as a high risk of forest and land fires.The restoration of degraded forest and peatlands needs to be on top of the agenda to prevent a repeat of 2015.

We also recommend the moratorium include secondary forests because many of these areas still have good forest cover and high biodiversity value. Researchers also argued that it resulted from many factors other than the moratorium. These included rainfall, stronger law enforcement and increased public awareness about the health hazards of haze.

So far, the government has yet to show the political will to provide open and transparent geospatial data.Jokowi’s administration has been reluctant to abide by the 2017 Supreme Court decision to open data on oil palm plantation licensing to the public. President Jokowi has the power to set the political agenda to address the above problems and to use necessary measures to improve public participation and access to One Map.The last recommendation is public participation, which involves giving legal access to communities living in forest areas under the social forestry scheme.

Aside from streamlining the process, the administration should also ensure the programme is socially just and helps communities switch to alternative, environmentally sustainable livelihoods.

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